Draft:Lester E. Cox
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| Submission declined on 21 May 2025 by Ldm1954 (talk). This submission does not appear to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. Entries should be written from a neutral point of view, and should refer to a range of independent, reliable, published sources. Please rewrite your submission in a more encyclopedic format. Please make sure to avoid peacock terms that promote the subject. This submission reads more like an essay than an encyclopedia article. Submissions should summarise information in secondary, reliable sources and not contain opinions or original research. Please write about the topic from a neutral point of view in an encyclopedic manner.
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This draft has been resubmitted and is currently awaiting re-review. |  |
| Submission declined on 17 September 2024 by Timtrent (talk). This submission's references do not show that the subject qualifies for a Wikipedia article—that is, they do not show significant coverage (not just passing mentions) about the subject in published, reliable, secondary sources that are independent of the subject (see the guidelines on the notability of people). Before any resubmission, additional references meeting these criteria should be added (see technical help and learn about mistakes to avoid when addressing this issue). If no additional references exist, the subject is not suitable for Wikipedia. Declined by Timtrent 8 months ago. | |
Comment: You have added a few sources, but you ignored the advice of a previous reviewer "cut, cut, and cut again". They were right, we are an encyclopedia not a magazine. Ldm1954 (talk) 14:03, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
- Comment: You have created a broadly unsourced narrative suitable for a magazine. Please find references to verify the facts or remove the facts. Remove any statement praising Cox. You need to cut, cut, and cut again. 🇺🇦 FiddleTimtrent FaddleTalk to me 🇺🇦 13:57, 17 September 2024 (UTC)
Lester E. Cox | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Lester Edmund Cox August 22, 1895 Republic, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | August 14, 1968 (aged 72) Springfield, Missouri, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hazelwood Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Drury College |
| Occupation | Business magnate |
| Spouse |
Mildren Belle Lee Cox
(m. 1918) |
| Children |
|
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1932 |
| Rank |  Major |
| Unit | US Air Corps |
| Battles / wars | World War I |
Lester Edmund Cox (August 22, 1895 – August 14, 1968) was an American business executive with interests in mass media, distribution, transportation, and banking in southwest Missouri. He is best known for his service to Burge Hospital (CoxHealth), which adopted his namesake upon his death.
Early life
[edit]Lester Edmund Cox was born to James Mitchell Cox and Amanda Belle Britain Cox, in Republic, Missouri. In 1915, Cox attended Drury College, becoming close friends with room-mate Ernest R. Breech. Cox later joined the US Air Corps in 1917 during WWI. After the war, he returned home to marry Mildred Belle Lee, daughter of Springfield, MO mayor Robert E. Lee.[1][2]
Early Career
[edit]Cox began his professional career at Martin Brothers Piano Company holding the roles of vice-president and general manager, expanding into Fort Scott, Kansas, Rogers, Arkansas, Miami, Oklahoma, and Poplar Bluff, Missouri. In 1921, Cox established the first Boy Scout Band in the country with R. Ritchie Robertson as director, growing the band to 440 members in 1928 and holding the title of the largest Boy Scout Band.[3] He would serve as the band's business manager for 19 years, stepping down in 1939. Cox and Robertson formed the Kiltie Drum Corp at Springfield Senior High School in 1926, it was the first all-female drum corps group in the country.
Lester E. Cox worked with Ralph D. Foster, owner of KGBX of St. Joseph, Missouri, as well as the FRC, bringing the first local radio station to Springfield, MO in 1932.[4] Cox followed up by founding KWTO ("Keep Watching the Ozarks") and later WTMV, co-founding KWKC in Kansas City, and partnering with Victor Baxter in the Pittsburg Broadcasting Company operating KOAM.[5][2]
Later Career
[edit]Impressed with the operations of the new Ford 9N tractor at the 1939 World's Fair in New York, Cox would start Ozark Tractor & Implement Company, K.C. Tractor & Implement Company in Kansas City, and Modern Tractor & Supply Company in Oklahoma City, becoming the largest Ford tractor dealer in the county and distributing 15% of the total output of Ford tractors and farm implements during those years.[6] He pioneered a tractor training school southwest of Springfield called Kickapoo Prairie Farm.[7] Ford Tractor would later adopt the model of Kickapoo Prairie nationwide. Kickapoo Prairie, and the original farmhouse, can be found today at Chesterfield Village in Springfield, MO.[8]
Other business interests would include: Cox-Davis Dairy Farm, Big Boy Fertilizer, the Springfield Credit Bureau, the Oklahoma Fertilizer and Chemical Company, The Pioneer Advertising Company (eventually becoming the largest OOH conglomerate in Missouri), Superior Outdoor Advertising Company, Overland Outdoor Advertising Company.[9][10] He would help start and hold half ownership of KYTV.[11]
Lester served on the Board of Trustees at Drury College, the Board of Curators of the University of Missouri, the Governing Board of SMU, the Missouri Commission on Higher Education, and the Missouri State Board of Health.[2] While serving the University of Missouri, he secured KOMU-TV for the University, established a University power plant, and initiated the establishment of the University Medical Center. Additional, he served on the Frisco Railroad Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Board of Ozark Air Lines.[12][2][13]
Burge Hospital and CoxHealth
[edit]In 1949, Springfield's Burge Hospital, was on the brink of closure due to financial strain. Joining the board of directors, Cox challenged the Burge doctors to raise funds within the community, which he would personally match. As the President of the Board of Directors, the funds were raised and a $1,000,000 expansion was completed on September 7, 1952.
He would serve on the hospital board until his death in 1968. Nine months following Cox's death in 1969, Burge Hospital changed it's name to Lester E. Cox Medical Center. Today, CoxHealth has over 14,000 employees and remains a leader in healthcare in the region.[14][15][16][17]
-
Nurses standing in from of Burge Hospital, Springfield, MO. -
CoxHealth South
References
[edit]- ^ Hulston, John (1992). Lester E. Cox 1895-1968 (1st ed.). Springfield, MO: John K. Hulston. p. 22-23.
- ^ a b c d Cox, Lester. "Lester E. Cox Papers" (PDF). The State Historical Society of Missouri, Manuscript Collection. The State Historical Society of Missouri. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "Boy Scout band from Springfield, Missouri". www.trumanlibrary.gov. Harry S. Truman Library. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ Glazier, Robert (June 2000). "History of the Queen City of the Ozarks (Part XXVIII)". Springfield! Magazine. XXII (1): 49. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Fuchs, J.R. "Oral History Interview with Tom L. Evans". Harry S. Truman Library. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Hulston, John (1992). Lester E. Cox 1895-1968 (1st ed.). Springfield, MO: John K. Hulston. p. 22-23.
- ^ "History Museum Archives". archives.historymuseumonthesquare.org. Harry S. Truman Library. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ Henry, Jill (February 27, 2005). "Chesterfield Village Update". Springfield Business Journal. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ Cox, Lester (1948). Modern Distribution in Mid-America (1st ed.). Springfield, MO: Lester E. Cox. pp. 2–11.
- ^ Hulston, John (1992). Lester E. Cox 1895-1968 (1st ed.). Springfield, MO: John K. Hulston. p. 273-317.
- ^ Olds, George (July 8, 1952). "Another TV Station". BiasL Springfield's Weekly Newsjournal. 3 (9): 10–11. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "OPT Documentaries: Ozark Air Lines: The Sky's The Limit!". Ozark Air Lines: The Sky's The Limit!. Ozark Public Television. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Olds, George (May 6, 1952). "On The Bias". Bias: Springfield's Weekly Newsjournal. 2 (52): 3. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "Our History". CoxHealth. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Leicht, Linda. "Reliving hospital history: From Burge Deaconess Hospital to CoxHealth". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "Our History and Legacy". Cox College. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Groner, Wayne E. (May 14, 2006). "From Burge Deaconess to CoxHealth ..." Springfield Business Journal. Retrieved May 19, 2025.